


fireside

by bimmykimmy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Crushes, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:02:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15048578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bimmykimmy/pseuds/bimmykimmy
Summary: Keith tells Krolia about his friends.





	fireside

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Hal, instead of working on the last chapter of Ignite I wrote 3k words of mother-son bonding and Keith accidentally telling Krolia about his crush.  
> Enjoy!

The soft crackling of the fire filled the quiet, still night air. Keith watched the sparks, dancing and popping. He still had a hard time grasping the fact he was sitting on a creature, living and breathing.

Though he supposed it wasn't the first time. After leaving earth, he'd experienced many firsts; both outlandish and normal. Hell, it had been the first time he'd played fetch with a pet! Well, sort of.

The enormity of space, the vastness...sometimes it was almost too much to handle. But all too awe inspiring to not want to learn and explore more.

Keith wasn't certain how much time had passed already. Maybe a few months. He and his mother had made a comfortable camp for their journey. It wasn't anything special. It sufficed, at the very least.

His vanishing wolf reappeared next to him, nudging close to Keith with a soft contented sigh.

"You had a stuffed wolf," Krolia's voice broke the monotony of the night as she came back to the campsite with logs in her hands.

Keith looked up at her, brows knitting. "Did I?" He didn't remember.

"For a short time, at least." Krolia sat opposite from Keith across the fire. Her drifting gaze fell to the flames lapping onto a new log she tossed in. Her smile was fond. "Until your father accidentally washed it with bleach. All that fur practically disintegrated. Oh, I was so _mad_. It had been your favorite."

Keith couldn't help but chuckle softly, his hand resting atop of his wolf's head. He pet her gently, and she turned to him and happily sniffed his leg, pressing her wet nose to the fabric between his armor. When he looked up again, his eyes found Krolia's. Her soft smile barely touching them. Keith felt his face warm and he shifted awkwardly.

He was still new to all of this.

This...

Whatever this was.

He knew he was happy, that much was a given. Relieved, maybe. But he still had so many questions. So much was thrown at him in a short amount of time; so much he'd never known about his past. About himself. It wasn't something that he could come to terms with quickly.

He'd never been that type of person anyway. He wouldn't start now.

He wanted to talk about it though. He wanted to ask Shiro for guidance. He wanted to bug Lance and bicker to forget. He wanted to watch Allura's eyes light up as she reminisced about Altea. He wanted...

He felt his mind wander and he sighed.

"What's the matter?" Krolia spoke once more over the silence of the dark night. The fire cracked and popped again, sending sparks dancing up like flickering fireflies.

"I miss my friends," Keith said in another sigh. It escaped him so quickly, so easily, that it took him a short moment to realize he'd actually said it out loud. His eyes widened and he snapped his gaze back up to Krolia with an audible gasp. His face felt warm again, and he sputtered. "N-not that!! I mean...it's not like I--"

"Will you tell me about them?"

Keith paused in his back pedaling, shoulders loosening from their taught nervousness. He looked at his mother, taking in her gentle expression, her curious eyes. He wanted to know so much. He wanted to ask her a thousand questions--and in time, he would. But for now, tonight, he wanted...he wanted to talk about his friends.

"What do you want to know?" Keith asked, leaning back on his hands. His wolf saw the position as a fun tent to sleep under, and so she did, exhaling a sigh as she plopped down under him.

"Anything," Krolia said at first, but then she added. "Do you miss them?"

"I...I do," Keith said after a moment of hesitance. Not hesitant in his answer, but hesitant in how he was supposed to act. He'd never had a mom. He didn't understand any of it. Heart to hearts weren't always Keith's forte.

The fire dimmed a little, flames lowering. Krolia picked up a stick and poked at the logs, sparking new life into the flames as they grew larger once more. The heat providing a comfortable bubble around them.

"Who do you miss the most?" Krolia asked after setting the stick down.

Keith couldn't help but snort at the question.

"I'm serious!" Krolia defended, "There are five Paladins of Voltron right, so you're bound to have favorites? If you're anything like your father...He always talked about some athletics team...what was it..."

"I'm not really that type of person," was Keith's response. His amused smile stretched wider across his face.

" _Boring_ ," Krolia mumbled with a dismissive swat of her hand.

"I can tell you what I like about each of them though," Keith offered after more silence fell between them.

To that, Krolia perked up. Her eyebrows lifted and she leaned back a little, a smile poised on her delicate yet defiantly strong features. "Well, go on then!"

Keith laughed through his nose, glancing down at his short, ripped fingernails.

Who to even begin with?

"The black paladin Shiro is my brother," Keith started with the most obvious. Krolia quirked an eyebrow at that beginning, but Keith continued undeterred. "He practically raised me. When Dad died, Shiro was all I had. He's always been there for me. Helping me out of trouble, giving me the push when I needed it."

Keith's fond expression warmed Krolia better than the fire ever could.

"He likes to play Mr. Righteous all the time, but there are times where even I look _tame_ compared to him. Patience yields focus, he's always saying that to me like some kind of hypnosis. I mean, it works but--" he laughs. "You know what though? One time, he got so mad playing tether ball that he gave me a bloody nose."

Krolia laughed, "What? What's tether ball, some sort of sparring match?"

"It's a game on earth. We played it a lot at the home," Keith said and looked up at the swirling lights in the endless expanse above him. "The ball hit me square in the face. Sometimes I bring it up to him and he gets embarrassed."

Krolia laughed again, humming in quiet consideration. A few more peaceful moments passed. Above her, those same swirling lights in the sky radiated a rainbow of colors as another surge of energy blasted into space, ineffective against the creature they rode on. A brilliant cobalt caught her eye. "What about the blue paladin?"

"That's Lance," Keith said with a roll of his eyes and Krolia noted his change of tone with another amused laugh of her own. "Met him at the garrison. Sort of. I knew of **some** guy who'd singlehandedly decided that we were rivals. I dropped out before I ever met him properly. He's..."

Keith paused. How did one describe Lance McClain?

"Unpredictable. Every day I'd wake up on the castle of lions not knowing what sort of trouble he'd get into. He and I fight a lot...but I don't dislike him. He's a good pilot, and a better friend to everyone than I could ever hope to be." He got quiet, his voice lowering a decibel. "I got jealous sometimes. Of how easy it was for him to laugh things off...to make everyone smile again, to turn the focus on his ridiculous behavior to ease everyone's tension."

"He sounds like a good person," Krolia responded, arms folded across her chest as she studied Keith.

"He is," Keith said even more quietly. There was a small, fond smile curving his lips. "But I'd never _ever_ in a billion years ever tell him that."

"Why's that?"

"Are you kidding?! His ego would boost so high, he'd have to get a new paladin helmet to fit his massive head in!" Keith blurted, looking up at Krolia in disbelief.

Krolia simply laughed again, leaning back and lifting her hands lightly in surrender. "Okay, okay, unbridled rivalry. Got it."

Keith scoffed childishly and turned his head, crossing his arms a little and sitting further down. He leaned against his wolf now, using her as a soft backrest. He kept his gaze on the fire, the flames reflecting in his dark irises.

"He gets under a lot of people's skin," Keith continued after a while. Krolia was almost certain she had ruined the momentum. She was glad she hadn't. "But not in a horrible way, you know? And he always knows how to fix his mistakes. I found that amazing..." Keith thought for a moment or two. "One time he spilled some food goo on Pidge's work station. She was ticked, but not an hour later they were playing video games together."

"Who's Pidge?"

Keith smiled. "Probably the biggest, most giant nerd I've ever met." He looked up at Krolia. "She's a little younger than us, but she's an absolute genius. I sometimes think about what it would've been like to be in classes with her at the garrison. I wonder if my curiosity in her brain power would've distracted me from fighting every single guy who looked down on me."

"You got into a lot of fights then?"

"I guess," was all Keith offered. But Krolia wasn't going to pry. She let Keith continue. "But anyway Pidge's brain is like an entire universe of information. Not to mention she's very loyal..." Keith's smile widened, the biggest so far. "She went to extreme lengths to find her father and brother. I've always admired her for that. She does well with the green lion. Making the most of its capabilities.

"So, she's the engineer of your group I take it? The one who works out kinks along the journey? Those lions aren't the least bit ordinary tech."

"Yeah," Keith responded as he sat up straighter, having slowly slipped too low for comfort. "She and Hunk--"

Silence.

More silence.

Krolia tilted her head, studying Keith in said silence. "Keith?"

The fire was dying again, but Krolia did not move. She watched as her son swallowed heavily, gaze cast aside, arms folded and legs stretching out in front of him. Krolia didn't believe it at first, but when she squinted ever so slightly she confirmed her suspicions in the dim orange light.

Keith was blushing again. Her eyes widened just a little.

"Hunk is...?" she lead. "Your other engineer? The," she counted and color coded in her head, "yellow paladin?"

"Uh, yeah," Keith said, suddenly very closed off. A complete 180 from just moments before. Krolia tilted her head again, much like the wolf, curiosity bleeding into every inch of her.

"Is he...nice?"

"Yeah, he's--he's cool." Keith suddenly couldn't find words. His face felt like he'd stuck his head into the flames and his heart leapt to his throat.

Concerning Hunk...

That was another first for Keith. One he really didn't know how to respond to.

"Do you have a rivalry with Hunk as well?"

Keith's reddened face turn upwards, glancing at his mom with widened eyes. "What? No, no not at all. I don't think it's possible for anyone to hate Hunk...he's--"

Krolia sat in silence, waiting, giving Keith time. She was already so grateful for what her son had shared already, she wasn't about to push him farther than he wanted. But she wouldn't deny that Keith's reaction did catch her curiosity. Not to mention how strikingly similar to his father Keith was; in this aspect anyway. Krolia smiled at the memory of being offered flowers by a blubbering, blushing mess of a man.

"Special," Keith finally said. Krolia looked at him for a moment, nodding when Keith's eyes met hers.

"Is he smart too?" she asked.

"Another genius," Keith instantly replied. "He goes on rants sometimes and it feels like he's speaking a foreign language. He's so innovative too!" Keith suddenly sat up straight, crossing his legs pretzel style and grabbing onto his ankles. "He made a frown--a fraun--a thing that tracks the lion's signatures out of bit of tech scrap in my cruddy shack back on earth! Can you believe that?"

Krolia shook her head with raised eyebrows, smile ever present.

Keith continued excitedly, "And the things he can do with food! You wouldn't believe that either. He always made us meals, no matter how tough things got...Hunk always made sure we were fed properly. He really cares about us all." Keith's voice trailed a little as his mind wandered to little moments he treasured. They may have been small things, maybe Hunk didn't even remember them, but to Keith? They were special. "When I found out I was half galra, I was...scared."

Krolia frowned a little, but understood. She kept her gaze on her son.

"I was afraid everyone would see me differently. Allura did at first..."

"The princess."

Keith nodded and shifted where he sat. "But Hunk he..." a small smile curled his lips. "He was just his usual self with me. Cracking jokes, asking inappropriate questions. It was being with him that made me realize--what I am isn't important. It's who I want to be, and how I want others to see me."

"It sounds like this Hunk fellow really means a lot to you...like the rock of the team."

Keith laughed softly. "Yeah, I--he is. He's always sort of been our anchor. I hope he knows his importance. To the team. To me-- I think I..." his voice trailed off again. His face bloomed a deep red again. He looked down at his hands, and bounced his knee nervously. He couldn't say it out loud. Not to himself let alone his mother!

Krolia's maternal instinct rose to the surface and she tried to burry it. She really did. But she could only hold back so much.

"Whenever we reunite with your comrades, I'll have to properly be introduced to him. See if he is a worthy mate for my bloodline."

Keith gaped at her, full on 110% disbelief and open mouth. His brain felt like it boiled over and he suddenly felt a wave of juvenile, hormonal panic.

"Wh-what? _Excuse_ me, hold on. Did--did you just say what I think--did you say _mate?!_ "

His wolf stirred at the sudden commotion and rising tension (and octave) in Keith's voice. She sat up and licked at his hand, rounding him worried.

Krolia shrugged as if what she'd just suggested wasn't entirely _insane_. "Your father made me well aware of human courting customs. I think they lack fervor. You need more ways to prove your combative strength! But I can look past that if he's who you truly desire. Is he strong at least?"

Keith was no longer there. Physically, sure. But mentally he was catapulted into space and sucked into the giant black hole. His mind puttered to a halt and his whole body felt on fire. Maybe he'd just throw himself on top of their dying fire. That may have been preferable to whatever situation he'd just gotten himself into. His mind wasn't so far gone though. He thought of Hunk. His massive arms with muscles that bulged with exertion. The insane way he could accomplish tasks for Coran and the others with such ease it made Keith's mouth water. He gulped.

"He is so strong..." Keith found himself practically whispering.

"Wonderful! I'm eager to meet him. He IS a paladin of Voltron anyway, so I'm certain he's worthy of my son."

"R-right sure..." Keith nodded, eyes glazed over as he stared at the final light offered from the smoldering embers. "He's worthy alright."

"Thank you, Keith," Krolia said softly. Keith looked up at his mother who smiled still. "For telling me about them...about him. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I love you so much--I hope, I hope you understand this."

Keith smiled tightly, heart clenching  with...with what? Fondness? Whatever it was, it filled his chest with a warmth that he could certainly get used to.

 

\----

 

"Coordinates to earth have been set," Coran yelled from his new navigator position in the ship. "It'll be a longer journey without the castle but we'll make do!"

Everyone seemed relieved with the thought of finally returning home. After the commotion, things seemed to calm down. Everyone fell back into their normal roles. Things weren't the same, not in the least, but at least they were all together again.

Keith sat off to the side, gazing out the small port window at the endless black expanse of space. The sparkling stars in the distance crawled by.

"Shiro's gonna be okay," Keith heard a warm voice behind him. He turned to see Hunk leaning against the ship's wall, arms crossed relaxed. "He's resting now, but I think he'll be okay. Allura is amazing."

Keith smiled, nodding gently and turning away from the window to look at Hunk. "She is..."

A silence fell between them. Comfortable but curious. It had been two years since Keith saw his friends. It felt a little...strange being back. He heard Hunk clear his throat, so he looked up.

"You uh--you're...I mean Lance said it already, but you look--"

"Different?" Keith offered.

"Good," Hunk replied with a smile.

"Oh," Keith's eyebrows lifted and his cheeks warmed a little. "Thanks, I guess." He returned Hunk's smile, really looking at him for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

Hunk brought his hand up to the back of his own neck, rubbing it nervously.

"Everything okay?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, I just...well, it's good to see you again."

"Yeah," Keith felt his heart do a backflip into his stomach. "I feel the same."

Keith saw the small blush filling Hunk's round cheeks, burning his ears red.

"Y-Y'know," Hunk said quietly through pouted lips. "I've been thinking about stuff and--"

Hunk stopped talking when he saw Keith's expression suddenly change; face losing all color. His eyes were trained on something beyond Hunk, wide and almost horrified. Hunk's heart sank a little, dread creeping into his veins. Was it an attack?

Hunk turned, looking over his shoulder to see the Galra woman, Krolia...Keith introduced her as his mother. She walked directly toward him, gaze set in stone. A scary fire beneath her eyes as she stomped with conviction.

"No, Mom, _no_!!!" Hunk heard Keith say, practically yell. "Now is _not_ the time!"


End file.
